A ceremony was held at the Garrison Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv during which the families of fallen servicemen of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine were solemnly presented with posthumous state awards.
The event began with a joint prayer for the defenders who gave their lives for Ukraine. Distinctions for the families were presented by Colonel Serhii Shapoval, Deputy Head for Moral and Psychological Support of the 7th Carpathian Border Detachment.
On this day, eight state awards were presented to the relatives of the fallen: two Orders “For Courage” 3rd Class, four medals “Defender of the Motherland” and two medals “For Military Service to Ukraine”.
The Order “For Courage” 3rd Class (posthumously) was awarded to:
- Captain Artem M’iakota, a serviceman of the 9th Border Detachment, who was killed in action while carrying out a combat mission in Donetsk region. The award was received by his wife Nataliia and sons Artem and Maksym;
- Senior Master Sergeant Eduard Kudra, a serviceman of the 11th Border Detachment, who was killed in action while carrying out a combat mission in Kharkiv region. The award was accepted by his son Vladyslav.
The medal “Defender of the Motherland” (posthumously) was awarded to:
- Lieutenant Valerii Blazhievskyi, a serviceman of the Bohdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, who was killed in action while carrying out a combat mission in Sumy region. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Senior Lieutenant. The award was received by his mother Nadiia, wife Yelyzaveta and son Artem;
- Chief Sergeant Ruslan Rozhytskyi, a serviceman of the 1st Border Detachment, who was killed in action while carrying out a combat mission in Donetsk region. The award was presented to his mother Oksana and wife Larysa;
- Senior Soldier Vasyl Chekharivskyi, a serviceman of the 4th Border Detachment, who was killed in action while carrying out a combat mission in Kharkiv region. The medal was received by his mother Mariia and son Nazar;
- Senior Soldier Ihor Bilo, a serviceman of the 15th Border Detachment. On 13 November 2024, his heart stopped. The award was received by his sister Nadiia.
The medal “For Military Service to Ukraine” (posthumously) was awarded to:
- Sergeant Nazar Alfavitskyi, a serviceman of the 6th Border Detachment, who was killed in action while carrying out a combat mission in Kharkiv region. The distinction was received by his father Ivan, mother Hanna and wife Liliia;
- Senior Soldier Viktor Liashenko, a serviceman of the 3rd Border Detachment, who was killed in action while carrying out a combat mission in Donetsk region. The award was presented to his mother Nadiia.
After the awards were presented, all those gathered once again joined in prayer for the souls of the fallen border guard soldiers. The ceremony concluded with the singing of the spiritual anthem “O God, Great and Only” in memory of the dead.